What We Do

Libraries That Are Independent, Open and Free to All

Since the year 2000, the Riecken Foundation has worked with poor rural communities and their municipalities in Guatemala and Honduras to create a network of dynamic community libraries. The libraries are independent, open and free to all, and highly valued in this region of such great need.

The vision behind each Riecken Community Library is that it will nourish the minds of its users and drive social initiatives that contribute to community solutions for the common good.

To that end, each Riecken library serves as a community center in which to experience the spirit of discovery, books and literacy programs, support for local schools and teachers, safe activity choices for young people, access to the Internet whenever possible and training in technology tools, and other community development initiatives geared for relevance to the community.

Unique to Riecken Community Libraries – and critical to their success – is the Riecken Community Library Model in which the libraries belong to their communities and are managed by a group of citizen volunteers which are subsidized by local governments.